Trace-holder



NITEI STATE-S GRANVILLE. BARTLETT, or LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

TRACE-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,374, dated June '7, 189$. Application filed November 27, 1897. Serial No. 659,947. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern; v

Be it known that I, GRANVILLE BARTLETT, of Lexington, in the county of Fayette and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trace Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of a device for holding a trace upon the end of a singletree to prevent the trace from accidentally slipping oif after it is hooked upon the end of the singletree. It belongs to that class of traceholders in which a spring is fastened to the upper or lower side of the singletree at each end, and has a hook that embraces the trace and prevents it from slipping off the end of the singletree.

My invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangementof this form of trace-holder, which will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a side View of one e'nd'of a singletree with the trace and trace-holder applied to the same. Fig. 2 is an under side View of the same parts. Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective of the trace-holder detached, and Fig. 4 is a sectional View of a modification.

A represents the singletree, and B is the trace, the slit in whose end is slipped over the sharpened end of the singletree to connect it for the draft strain.

O is my trace-holder. This is composed of a single piece of spring-wire whose body portion is a helical spring a, terminating at one end in two eyes Z) I), by which it is fixed to the bottom of the singletree through the agency of two screws 1) b, and whose other end forms a hook c with a long beak that extends'hp wardly through a hole cl in the singletree to inclose the trace and prevent it from slipping off the end of the singletree. This hook is formed of two thicknesses of wire, the wire being doubled on itself and the extreme end of the wire 6 (see Fig. 3) being entered into and housed within the helix or coils,of the shank portion. ,This shank portion is bent downwardly in the center and up at its outer end, as seen in Fig. 1, so as to spring up with some force and rest against the singletree only at its end and not throughout its length, so as to avoid rattling noise.

To apply the trace to the singletree-and fasten it with the trace-holder, the hook of the hole in the singletree, where it firmly locksthe trace against slipping off.

By making my trace-holder of a single piece of spring-wire with oppositely-projecting eyes at one end of the coil the singletree will not be split by the tacks or screws with which it is attached, as they are not both in the same line with the grain of the wood of the single tree- -They would split the singletree when placed close together and both in line with the grain of the wood. By making it with a longspiral coil it admits of a great movement being made with the trace-holding end with out damaging the spring. By doubling the holding portion and inserting the cut end into the end of the coil it makes it strong and it has no sharp end to scratch or damage the vehicle or harness. Byjforming a curved loop at one end of the coil and letting the doubled end of the IOOPQXtQIld above the coil enough to'pass through the eye or holeof the singletree and on the outside of the trace beneath the singletree the trace is securely held in the loop between the end of the coil and the outside extending portion of the loop.

I have shown my trace-holder attached to the bottom side of the singletree; but I would have it understood that it may equally as well be applied to the top side of the singletree, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 4, in which a metal ferrule is used on the end of the single tree.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A trace-holder consisting of a single piece of wire having its middle portion constructed in the form of a helical spring forming a shank, and having at one end of said spring two attaching-eyes one on either side, and at the other end a hook with a prolongedbeak formed of the wire doubled on itself and having its free end turned back and housed within the helix substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination with a singletree hav IGU ing a vertical hole through its end; of a traceadapted to pass through the hole in the sinholder consisting of a helical spring with atgletree substantially as and for the purpose taching-eyes at one end, and a hook at the described.

other Whose beak is made double with the free GRANVILLE BARTLETT. 5 end of the wire extended into the coil of the Witnesses:

spring, said beak being extended vertically E. L. TANNER,

past the level of the coil or shank portion and I. A. BARTLETT. 

